{"files"=>["https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1026921", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1026922", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1026923", "https://ndownloader.figshare.com/files/1026925"], "description"=>"<div><p>Reproduction is a risky affair; a lifespan cost of maintaining reproductive capability, and of reproduction itself, has been demonstrated in a wide range of animal species. However, little is understood about the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Most cost-of-reproduction studies simply ask how reproduction influences age at death, but are blind to the subjects' actual causes of death. Lifespan is a composite variable of myriad causes of death and it has not been clear whether the consequences of reproduction or of reproductive capability influence all causes of death equally. To address this gap in understanding, we compared causes of death among over 40,000 sterilized and reproductively intact domestic dogs, <i>Canis lupus familiaris</i>. We found that sterilization was strongly associated with an increase in lifespan, and while it decreased risk of death from some causes, such as infectious disease, it actually increased risk of death from others, such as cancer. These findings suggest that to understand how reproduction affects lifespan, a shift in research focus is needed. Beyond the impact of reproduction on <i>when</i> individuals die, we must investigate its impact on <i>why</i> individuals die, and subsequently must identify the mechanisms by which these causes of death are influenced by the physiology associated with reproductive capability. Such an approach may also clarify the effects of reproduction on lifespan in people.</p></div>", "links"=>[], "tags"=>["Anatomy and physiology", "Reproductive system", "ecology", "Behavioral ecology", "Ecophysiology", "Evolutionary ecology", "Physiological ecology", "Population ecology", "Evolutionary biology", "aging", "Animal behavior", "Evolutionary immunology", "Population biology", "epidemiology", "Epidemiology of aging", "Life course epidemiology", "Population metrics", "Death rate", "Animal types", "Small animals", "Veterinary anatomy and physiology", "Veterinary diseases", "Veterinary epidemiology", "Veterinary medicine", "Small animal care", "lifespan"], "article_id"=>684413, "categories"=>["Biological Sciences", "Medicine"], "users"=>["Jessica M. Hoffman", "Kate E. Creevy", "Daniel E. L. Promislow"], "doi"=>["https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061082.s001", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061082.s002", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061082.s003", "https://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0061082.s004"], "stats"=>{"downloads"=>18, "page_views"=>17, "likes"=>0}, "figshare_url"=>"https://figshare.com/articles/_Reproductive_Capability_Is_Associated_with_Lifespan_and_Cause_of_Death_in_Companion_Dogs_/684413", "title"=>"Reproductive Capability Is Associated with Lifespan and Cause of Death in Companion Dogs", "pos_in_sequence"=>0, "defined_type"=>4, "published_date"=>"2013-04-17 01:13:33"}